Intro:
The Wildlands Stewardship Training Center is partnering with Essex County Greenbelt to host a series of 3 webinars via Zoom throughout 2025 for those interested in building their conservation GIS skills. This workshop series is intended for land conservation professionals with beginner to intermediate GIS skills. In each session the instructors will cover key GIS concepts in a lecture format using ArcGIS Pro. Sessions will be 1 ½ hours long with a short break and may include break out sessions. Participants can register for individual workshops or attend all 3.
Dates: May 14, July 9, October 8th
Time: 10-11:30 AM
Location: Zoom
Cost: Free
Workshop Breakdown-
May 14 Trail Map Cartography:
In this webinar we will cover the basic principles of effective cartography including visual hierarchy, color principles, accessibility, organization, and symbology. We will do a deeper dive into two map formats that are commonly used in land conservation, the ortho (aerial photo) map and the trail map. The instructors will provide examples of good and bad map techniques for each, and will share the lessons they have learned from their many years of experience working for a regional land trust.
July 9 Georeferencing to Improve Your Boundary Data:
In this webinar, attendees will learn about the background, benefits and process of digitizing (georeferencing) survey plans. The instructors will provide a step by step walkthrough of the process and will provide examples of the benefits their organization has gained from creating high quality boundary data. Additionally, participants will gain access to a video that shows step by step how to digitize a survey plan and draw a boundary polygon based on the georeferenced plan in ArcPro. Participants will be provided with the survey plan used in the video to follow along in ArcPro.
October 8 ArcPro Tips & Tricks for Conservation Practioners:
Do you ever have pesky issues while making maps in ArcPro? If so, this is the webinar for you! This session will cover simple tips and tricks in ArcPro that will help your mapping go smoother. Participants will have the opportunity to send their ArcPro mapping questions to Greenbelt’s GIS team in advance, a selection of which will be answered in the webinar. We will also share some of our favorite tricks and workarounds.
Meet your instructors:
Abby is the Vice President of Stewardship, Planning, and Technology for Greenbelt. She manages all aspects of the geo-spatial program, which includes the GreenbeltGo trails app, interactive mapping, data analysis, database design and management, and kiosk and trail map design. In addition to her work at Greenbelt, Abby has served as an adjunct professor of GIS at Salem State University’s Geography and Sustainability Department. Abby has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Policy & Planning from Tufts University and a Bachelor's in Communications from Emerson College.
Becca is the GIS Specialist in the Stewardship, Planning, and Technology department at Greenbelt. She brings her geographic, analytical, and technical skills to support all of Greenbelt’s departments and core mission. She creates maps and web map applications, helps maintain and update Greenbelt’s database, and implements significant GIS analysis projects such as Greenbelt’s Land Conservation Prioritization. She is a Certified Remote Pilot under the FAA's Part 107 rules where she creates high resolution maps and collects imagery and footage of Greenbelt's properties. Becca has obtained a Master's Degree in Geo-Information Science and Bachelor's in Cartography from Salem State University.
Questions? Please reach out to Stewardship Programs Manager Zoë Smiarowski at zsmiarowski@wildlandstrust.org